Gentry police officer Rachelle Raimer joins Tevita Vunileva, Anthony Vunileva, Karlo Pasco and Nelson Fuentes for one ride down a hill at Ozark Adventist Academy in Gentry Thursday morning following the snow which fell in the early morning hours. Public schools in the area were closed on Thursday and Friday because of the snowfall and resulting slippery roads. Approximately 3-5 inches fell in the area. The official Gravette total was 3.2 inches.

Public works supervisor David McNair suggested to the street and alley committee on Monday that it recommend an earlier start for street maintenance and repair work this year so work could be done in July rather than later in the season when temperatures may be too cold.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 (read v. 1-14 ) What have we to fear? The LORD God who created us is our Light and our Salvation! As a light shining in this dark and sinful world, He reveals our utter sinfulness but also reveals Himself as our Savior, the source of our life.

Students in the Decatur High School will have the opportunity to retake classes they failed or nearly failed to improve their grade-point average, thanks to a new policy adopted by the school board at Monday’s meeting.

The shooting in Arizona earlier this month was a terrible tragedy, and words cannot express my sympathy toward the victims and their families or my anger and outrage that a deranged man would take it into his hands to cut short so many lives and do such harm to so many others.

I learned recently from Peggy Carrier’s Hiwasse News that January is National Hot Tea Month and I’ve been doing my best to celebrate it with a cup of the warm brew every morning. Sweetened with a teaspoon of Don Kane’s delicious local honey, it’s a great way to start each morning.

Thanks, Big Brother. I wanted to give credit to our Gravette Police Team and thank them for all their efforts as police officers. Recently, Trent Morrison wrote a very nice year-over-year analysis, with additional comments, that was mailed out to the city residents. It was well prepared and I ask and encourage Trent and team to continue this report card annually, if time allows.

Daniel Poemoceah, a senior at Gravette High School, was recently named to the Region I Senior High All-Region Band as a result of tryouts held January 8 at Rogers High School. The competition involved sight-reading music, playing selected scales and performing prepared music. Percussionists must play the snare drum, timpani and a mallet instrument such as a marimba.

We wanted to know how folks in our community think, so just for fun, the editorial staff of the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader and the Westide Eagle Observer offered a “20 Questions” survey recently. The questions were mostly fun and light-hearted, with a few important issues thrown in for good measure. Although we weren’t able to survey nearly as many people as we wanted to, those who were kind enough to answer gave us a good overview about what our communities are thinking. ebra Holroyd Program Assistant SSSenior Activity Center 1. What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book? I've never been a fan but if I must pick one it would be “Horton Hears a Who.” 2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what home would it be? “Two and a Half Men” -- beach house.

Wednesday, January 19

With his son ordered to the floor and threatened with a gun, Gravette pharmacist Ken Austin did what any parent would do — what law officials recommend. He complied with the request of the man in black who demanded narcotics.

Superintendent Larry Ben is making college readiness and academic achievement a priority in Decatur Schools and he is encouraging teachers to take a leading role in deciding which changes need to be made to improve the district's college remediation rate.

Starting Monday of this week, January 17, patients at Ozarks Community Hospital of Gravette (OCH) will benefit from computerized physician order entry (CPOE). The CPOE system reduces errors caused by handwriting or transcription, decreases delays in order completion and improves efficiency by offering entry at point-of-care. OCH’s first phase of EMR was implemented just before the New Year, which included a computerized order entry system for ancillary departments and electronic documentation for inpatient nursing and emergency departments.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 (read John 1:29-34 ) Who is Jesus? What did John the Baptist testify concerning Him? John called Him “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

From time to time I go through my clothes closet and lighten the load on the hanger bar by removing those clothes items which, for some reason unknown to me, have shrunk a size or two and no longer fit.

One of the tribulations of life is living through all the stuff that happens to a man or his family. What I mean to say is — well, how can I put it? — why do we need to suffer for the mistakes made by some feller so long ago following the lead of a female who wore olive leaves for clothing?

In my Sunday school class, we recently watched a video entitled, “The Truth about You, Your Secret to Success.” Watching the video, presented by “best-selling author” and motivational speaker Marcus Buckingham, coincided with the beginning of a new year when so many of us resolve to become “better” in some way, but that might have been a coincidence.

Editor, Thanks for sharing the article (on the poultry producers' meeting). From an outsider's perspective, the one comment that I'd make is that poultry companies don't intentionally ship unhealthy birds or bad feed. Their profits are based on bird weights, so they obviously want the bird to perform optimally.

Gentry’s Lady Pioneers ran their season record to 13-4 with wins over Berryville and Ozark during games played last week. Gentry toppled Berryville 74-44 in action at Gentry last Friday and the following night traveled to Ozark to take an impressive 58-49 win after dropping behind in the first quarter.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Robotics Team — including April Abiera, junior from Gravette, daughter of Michael and Lisa Abiera; Tait Clements, senior from Decatur, son of Heidi and Anthony Migliori and Thomas Clements — earned two first-place awards at the Frontier Trails Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) Regional Robotics Competition, held Dec. 10-11 at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith.

Editors Note: Following are both the Jan. 19 edition of the Hiwasse News and the Jan. 5 edition of the Hiwasse News. Because of space restrictions, the Westside Eagle Observer was not able to publish the Jan.

Homecoming wins were not in the cards for Gravette at last Friday night’s homecoming celebration as Shiloh Christian took both games from the Lions. The boys dropped their game to the visitors 65-39 following the queen coronation ceremony and the Shiloh girls took their game 57-41.

Wednesday, January 12

Overnight snowfall on Monday, ranging from one to two inches, and cold temperatures, caused slick highways and numerous accidents during the night and in the early morning hours Tuesday. The snowy weather also closed area schools and some businesses on Tuesday.

Army Pvt. Ryan M. Wright, the son of Lea Glasscock of Gentry and Patrick Wright of Bentonville, and 2009 graduate of Gentry High School, graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.

Gentry Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards banquet will be Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Wooden Spoon Restaurant in Gentry, with dinner being served at 6 p.m. and the program starting at 7 p.m. The Chamber is currently taking nominations for 2010 Outstanding Volunteer, 2010 Outstanding Businessperson, 2010 Outstanding Civic Organization, 2010 Rookie of the Year and 2010 Pioneer of the Year, said Bev Saunders, executive director of the Gentry Chamber.

Live On Stage in NWA! will again award a limited number of scholarships to 2011 graduating high school seniors. Students who attend Benton County high schools (public or private) or are home-schooled in Benton County are eligible.

John Lee Mitchael, left, of Gravette, was honored as Volunteer Citizen of the Year at a meeting of city employees in December. Former mayor Bill Howard, right, made the presentation to a surprised Mitchael and his wife Ruth, guests at the event.

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Acts 22:16 How important is Christian Baptism? Is it necessary that we be baptized or is it only a symbolic act? And what about children and babies? Are they to be baptized too for the remission of sins?

Jennifer Payne, third grade teacher at Gravette Upper Elementary School, is the recipient of a teacher scholarship from the Arkansas State Teachers’ Association to supplement her continued education through a master’s degree program in school library media science.

Perhaps it's because of the hills and curves in northwest Arkansas. It could have to do with the fact that I am now driving a small, lowto-the-ground car rather than a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle. And, it almost certainly has to do with my aging eyes. But regardless of the cause, I'm complaining about bright and blinding lights on the roadways.

The cattle were scattered all over the place when my neighbor’s neighbor called for help. I guess they had been trying to pen the rogues for over two hours and the two of them were just not enough manpower to plug all the holes. Cars were backed up and most of the drivers were not cattle people. Therefore horns were blowing and that sure enough didn’t help the situation a bit!

Can you imagine? We have started a new year, and we have snow now to make us realize it is winter! I know we were all hoping to get through the winter — up till about March, any way — without much snow or bad weather, but then would that be Arkansas?

The face of education in local public schools will be undergoing major changes in the next few years due to the state's implementation of new national standards. The following questions and answers on the Common Core State Standards explains some of the basic changes to come.

Crowning of the 2011 Gravette High School Basketball Homecoming Queen will be held this Friday, Jan. 14, at the competition gymnasium near the Junior High School. The coronation ceremony will be held at approximately 6:30 p.m., following the Junior Varsity Boys game which pits Gravette against Shiloh. The Senior Boys and Senior Girls games will follow the ceremony.

Mayors from cities large and small across Benton County — including six from the Westside Eagle Observer’s coverage area — took their oath of office before Judge Jay Finch at the Benton County Courthouse on Jan. 1.

Following are many of the memorable events which subscribers read about in the Gravette News Herald and Westside Eagle Observer during 2010. Of course, there were hundreds of other stories and pics which deserved mentioning.

\January 2010 was a cold one, with snow and frigid temperatures being the top story in Gentry for the first two weeks of the year now past. Though temperatures did dip over the weekend, 2011 is starting off without the snow and extreme cold of a year ago. Other lead stories in January of 2010 include a house fire which destroyed the Highfill home of Garvin and Ila Reid on Gailey Hollow Road, and the Gentry School Board signed a memorandum of understanding with the Arkansas Department of Education at a special meeting on Jan. 6 agreeing to use national assessment models and national standards rather than state standards.

Rev. Jack Austin, Sr., of Gravette, will be honored at a celebration of his life and ministry Saturday, Jan. 8, at 2 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church in Gravette. Austin celebrated his 90th birthday on Jan. 4.

Although tornados are not common during winter months they can occur as happened Dec. 31 when the small town of Cincinnati in Washington County was struck by a pre-dawn tornado which took the lives of three people in the storm's deadly path.

Due to a complaint filed with the Gentry Police Department, an ordinance provision (in Chapter 8.24) restricting parking on portions of Main Street and on a number of cross streets between Main Street and its alleys to two hours has come to light.

The Illinois River Watershed Partnership will host a live concert and show featuring Marshall Mitchell and the IRWP Clean Water Rainger’s at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the McKee Community Room of the Gentry Public Library.

After watching their early lead slip away late in the first half, Pea Ridge's boys were determined not to let it happen again Monday night and started the second half with an 11-0 run to pull away from Gentry and post a 60-45 victory over the Pioneers in a 4A-1 Conference game played a day earlier than previously scheduled.

Gentry cheerleaders pose with bags of trash they have collected to help raise money for their upcoming trip to national competition in Orlando, Fla. R&amp;R Solutions in Gravette donated the bags and is paying them $5 for each full bag of trash collected to help with costs of the trip. If the cheerleaders are able to fill all the bags donated by R&amp;R, the company will give them $1,500 toward their expenses.

After competing in the Alma Airedale tournament in that Crawford County city during the Christmas break, the Gravette Lions and Lady Lions were scheduled to go on the road Tuesday night to tangle with teams in Ozark.

Another Christmas morning has come and gone in our home, and it played out quite differently than it has in years past. With all three of our children now married, it was officially “just us” to celebrate the big day. Although Earl and I have adjusted to having the house to ourselves, and even prefer the situation much of the time — sorry, Kids — that didn’t keep me from missing the Christmas mornings of the past when the whole family was still at home.

“Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:104 Do you want to be wise? Do you want to have understanding ? If so, let God teach you through His own Word, the Bible!